TotallyMoney.com reveals extensive research into London’s best commuter towns…

The Resident:

The recent string of train strikes have hardly been the best advertisement for moving further from the capital, but since London is one of the world’s most expensive cities, most of us don’t have a choice.

Fortunately, TotallyMoney.com has been crunching the numbers to find the best commuter hotspots for those looking to move to the suburbs – and travel time by train and the cost of a season ticket are factored in, as well as life satisfaction and house prices.

Swanley in Kent turned out to be London’s best commuter town, closely followed by Bushey in Hertfordshire. Weybridge, however, was found to be the least attractive commuter town.

TotallyMoney.com has also created an interactive tool to help you find your perfect commuter town by inputting the amount you expect to spend on a season ticket, how long you want to commute and the amount you expect to spend on a home.

‘Like so many decisions in life, finding the perfect place you can call home is about balancing what’s important to you,’ said Joe Gardiner, Head of Brand and Communications at TotallyMoney.com, said of the research.

‘Our research has found that more affordable housing and a greater overall satisfaction with life is a powerful draw for people looking to get out of London. So, if you’re willing spend a little longer on the train on your morning commute, you might find that your ideal location lies outside the M25 in one of the table-topping towns of Kent or Hertfordshire.’

But still, for many commuters, it all comes down to house prices, so TotallyMoney.com has put together a table of the cheapest and most expensive house prices in commuter towns:

Commuter towns with the lowest average house prices

Town County Av House price Basildon Essex £259,493 Luton Bedfordshire £253,683 Earlswood Surrey £245,321 Chatham Kent £243,158 Bletchley Buckinghamshire £242,186 Pitsea Essex £231,702 Ebbsfleet Kent £221,241 Tilbury Essex £219,814 Tilbury Essex £213,768 Purfleet Essex £210,321

Commuter towns with the highest average house prices

Town County Av House price Virginia Water Surrey £1,421,304 Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire £1,113,254 Esher Surrey £1,082,020 Gerrards Cross Buckinghamshire £958,745 Weybridge Surrey £916,501 Chorleywood Hertfordshire £894,581 Harpenden Hertfordshire £842,736 Leatherhead Surrey £798,822 Shenfield Essex £744,524 Rickmansworth Hertfordshire £705,629 Methodology
House prices as of 23/01/17: zoopla.co.uk
Season ticket prices as of 23/01/17: nationalrail.co.uk/seasonticket
Journey time to London on 23/01/17: nationalrail.co.uk
Life satisfaction taken for the suburb or most local regional setting: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity